In Brasilia: First Hemispheric Meeting on Alcohol Public Policies
Washington, D.C., November 28, 2005 (PAHO)—Some of the world's top experts on alcohol abuse and public policy are gathered in Brazil this week to discuss ways of reducing the harmful effects of alcohol on public health in the Americas.
The 1st Pan American Conference on Alcohol Public Policies, sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Government of Brazil, will take place Nov. 28-30, 2005, at the Hotel Blue Tree Alvorada in Brasilia.
Participants from 20 countries of the hemisphere will discuss recent research findings and policies to counter the toll of alcohol on public health.
Alcohol is the leading risk factor for death and illness in the Americas, accounting for more than 10 percent of the overall burden of disease in the region, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) World Health Report 2002.
This is not primarily the product of alcoholism, however. From a public health perspective, the much larger problem is overconsumption by people who just drink "socially."
"The biggest misconception people have is that the problem of alcohol is alcohol dependence, or alcoholism," says Maristela Monteiro, PAHO regional advisor on alcohol and substance abuse, in a recent article in PAHO's magazine, Perspectives in Health.
"In terms of society, most public health problems come from acute intoxication," she explains. Harmful use of alcohol is a leading factor in homicides, traffic accidents, suicides, violence, domestic violence, child abuse and mistreatment and neglect. Most people who engage in heavy drinking occasions are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent but young, otherwise healthy men and women.
In the United States, alcohol is a factor in 25 percent of deaths among people aged 15 to 29. Its direct costs to the U.S. health care system reach some $19 billion and to the economy as a whole, up to $148 billion.
Public health experts note that alcohol takes a disproportionate toll on the poor because they spend a greater share of their income on alcohol, and when they have drinking problems they have less access to services, may lose their jobs and bring major hardships to their families.
Experts say the most effective ways of reducing overall consumption are by increasing prices and taxes on alcohol and restricting availability: where it can be sold, to whom and by whom, at what times and on which days. These public health measures have proven to work well, but they often encounter opposition from business and industry.
"There are several examples - for a long time in Europe, the United States and Canada, and now in Latin America and elsewhere - that show that closing bars earlier reduces both accidents and violence," notes Monteiro.
Another highly effective measure is raising the minimum age for purchasing alcohol. Only a handful of countries have emulated the U.S. minimum age of 21 (formerly 18). The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that raising the minimum drinking and alcohol-buying age in the United States has saved 17,359 lives since 1975.
According to WHO's Global Status Report: Alcohol Policy, the most effective countermeasures to drinking and driving are sobriety checkpoints, lowered blood-alcohol content limits, license suspension and graduated licensing for beginner drivers.
Featured speakers at the Nov. 28-30 meeting in Brasilia include: Jurgen Rehm and Norman Giesbrecht, of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center on Mental Health and Addiction in Canada; Ronaldo Laranjeira, professor of psychiatry at the Federal University of Sao Paulo; Marķa Elena Medina Mora, of the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry; Alfredo Pemjean, of Chile's Ministry of Health; Sharon Wilsnack, of the University of North Dakota; Tom Babor, professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut; Ralph Hingson, of the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; and Glynn Birch, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization.
PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of people of the Americas. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
PAHO Member States today include all 35 countries in the Americas. France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States. Portugal and Spain are Observer States, and Puerto Rico is an Associate Member.
For more information please contact , PAHO, Public Information, 202-974-3122.